Southern California -- this just in

Gov. Jerry Brown offers sweeping defense of high-speed rail

January 27, 2012 | 1:45
pm

Gov. Jerry Brown took to the airwaves Friday in defense of the state's controversial high-speed rail project -- with a pretty sweeping statement.

During an interview on KCBS-AM in San Francisco, he noted that 14 other countries have bullet trains in service, and suggested that failing to construct one might cause the United States to become a Third World country.

"We're not going to be a Third World country if I have anything to do with it," Brown said.

The governor also defended other aspects of the rail project, which critics decry as too expensive given the budget shortfalls that face not only California but the nation.